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WASHINGTON, DC – The Coalition for Modern Skies issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s failure to address our nation’s antiquated air traffic control operations in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation:

“The U.S. Senate has missed a historic opportunity to bring about critically important changes to our nation’s air traffic control operations. The more than 2 million passengers who fly through our skies every day deserve better than the unnecessary delays and $30 billion in lost productivity that result from the status quo.

“Currently, controllers route flights using antiquated ground-based radar that is less technically advanced than the smart phones in our pockets. Experts in air traffic control agree: Congress needs to act now to usher in transformational reforms before we reach a critical point. The Federal Aviation Administration and controllers do an incredible job keeping our skies the safest in the world. But despite the FAA’s best effort, modernizing air traffic control has stalled because of bureaucratic processes, government slowdowns and political games that have no place in our skies.

“The Coalition for Modern Skies strongly urges Congress to support air travelers and the U.S. economy by working to include vital air traffic control reforms as they continue their work on the FAA Reauthorization bill. Accomplishing these reforms will allow the United States to reclaim leadership in the skies.”

• Modern Technology: ATC currently uses antiquated, ground-based radar technology. These outdated technologies result in unnecessarily long flight times and indirect routes, which adds time and cost and also uses more fuel.

• Reliable Funding: The FAA has been hampered by budget constraints that have resulted in sequester and furloughs of air traffic controllers. Not knowing the budget from one year to the next prevents FAA executives from delivering a meaningful capital improvement plan, implementing NextGen and from meeting the need to hire additional air traffic controllers.

• Accountable Governance: A self-sustaining ATC system, with budget and management independence from the federal government, significantly decreases the potential for political games, arbitrary budget decisions, furloughs and shutdowns. Independent ATC board members would be prohibited from having any financial employment ties to stakeholders.

Seven former Clinton Administration officials sent a letter to Members of the U.S. House and Senate yesterday expressing their support for air traffic control. The officials, including former Secretaries of Transportation Federico Pena and Norman Mineta, make clear that the reform ideas are bipartisan and are supported by experts. The full text of the letter is below.

In recent weeks, Congress has begun consideration of legislation to reform the structure and financing of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization. One leading proposal would move the ATO to a non-profit corporation that would be financed by users and regulated for safety at arm’s length by the FAA. We believe this type of reform is needed. Numerous expert panels and studies have recommended “corporatization” of air traffic control, and both Democratic and Republican Administrations have proposed it in the past.

We participated in the effort by President Clinton and Vice President Gore to move air traffic control to a government corporation, so that it could operate more like a business and borrow on the capital markets to finance long-term capital investments. A key goal was to accelerate the FAA’s effort to modernize its system by (among other things) shifting from 1950s-era ground-based radar to satellite-based navigation—an effort that was plagued by delays and cost overruns.

Two decades later, delays and cost overruns continue to plague the FAA’s effort to adopt next-generation satellite-based technology (NEXTGEN), and air traffic controllers still keep track of aircraft using paper strips. In recent years, uncertainty as to the magnitude and timing of federal funding for NEXTGEN—a problem that is likely to get even worse—has added to the FAA’s challenges.

Additional evidence that the Clinton Administration was right to pursue air traffic control reform comes from the actions of other countries. Two decades ago, only four countries had corporatized their air traffic control systems. Today, more than 60 other countries have done so. A dozen independent studies by the Government Accountability Office and others show that, after the change, air traffic control safety in these countries improved or remained the same and efficiency increased.

This letter is not meant as a plea to support a particular piece of legislation. Rather, our intent is to communicate the importance of structural reform of air traffic control, generally, and to make it clear that Democrats and Republicans alike have long advocated such reform.

We are heartened by the support for reform shown by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 17,000 FAA employees.

Air traffic control reform is long overdue in this country. We hope it will receive bipartisan support in Congress.

Sincerely,

Federico Pena
Secretary of Transportation, 1993-1997

Norman Mineta*
Secretary of Transportation, 2001-2006

Peter Orszag**
Director, Office of Management and Budget, 2009-2010

Joshua Gotbaum***
Senior Official in the Departments of Defense and Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget, 1993-2001

Elaine Kamarck
Director, National Performance Review, 1993-1997

Dorothy Robyn***
Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, 1993-2001

Gerald Baliles
Governor of Virginia (1986-1990) and Chairman of the 1993 National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry

*Mineta served as the Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration
**Orszag served in several senior economic advisory positions in the Clinton Administration
***Gotbaum and Robyn also held senior political positions in the Obama Administration

The Coalition for Modern Skies issued the following statement urging members of the Senate to take action to modernize air traffic control (ATC) through the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation:

“The U.S. Senate has a historic opportunity to make air travel better for the more than 2 million people who fly through our skies every day through comprehensive reforms to our nation’s air traffic control system. Our ATC system is faced with antiquated technology and staffing shortfalls, which put the system under increasing stress. We urge the Senate to take action now and keep our ATC system on track by making the operations function independent of politics and establishing a guaranteed, reliable funding model funded by the system’s users.

“Currently, controllers route flights using antiquated ground-based radar that is less technically advanced than the smart phones in our pockets. Congressional budget impasses have repeatedly stalled the implementation of GPS technology. Our controllers do heroic work, but they’re stretched too thin. A third are up for retirement, and the training and recruitment pipeline is not moving fast enough to fill the need. In the meantime, the number of passengers has climbed for the past six years.

“Controllers, pilots, and a bi-partisan group of former FAA officials are behind the move to make ATC operations independent from politics, and let the FAA do what it does best: regulate safety.

“That’s why experts in air traffic control agree on the need for Congress to act now to usher in transformational reforms before we reach a critical point. Anything short of bold reform is not good enough.

“We are one of the few developed nations that has not yet modernized its air navigation operations, and we are losing our innovative edge. We can use the lessons-learned from the 60 nations that have already modernized their air navigation and ensure a smooth transition. The Coalition for Modern Skies strongly urges Senators to include these vital reforms in the FAA Reauthorization bill so that the United States can reclaim leadership in the skies.”

Modern Technology: ATC currently uses antiquated, ground-based radar technology. These outdated technologies result in unnecessarily long flight times and indirect routes, which adds time and cost and also uses more fuel.

Reliable Funding: The FAA has been hampered by budget constraints that have resulted in sequester and furloughs of air traffic controllers. Not knowing the budget from one year to the next prevents FAA executives from delivering a meaningful capital improvement plan, implementing NextGen and from meeting the need to hire additional air traffic controllers.

Accountable Governance: A self-sustaining ATC system, with budget and management independence from the federal government, significantly decreases the potential for political games, arbitrary budget decisions, furloughs and shutdowns. Independent ATC board members would be prohibited from having any financial employment ties to stakeholders.